carrying a handgun legal?

[bvet4dog]

hey guys, i'm a maine resident and now i have a new mp .45. I'll be carrying it on occasion but, i'm not completely aware of the laws related to handguns.

i'm working on getting myself handgun course so i can apply for ccw permit. With out ccw, can is till carry a handgun? In my holster on my side, can it be loaded or has to be empty? no ammo in the chamber or mag... or what?

if you can enlighten me on this, i'd be happy. thanks a bunch.



PS: my cousin can carry loaded glock in north carolina, but i know every states are different so i'm asking here.

[Raoul Duke]

You cannot carry a concealed firearm without a license as you already know.

You can open carry (unconcealed) a weapon however, you may well attract unwanted attention. While open carrying there don't appear to be any restrictions on whether or not it is loaded or what condition it is in.

It's that simple.

I suggest reading the Maine Section of the Firearms Law area of this website.

[bvet4dog]

yeah i did look... i wasnt sure if there was anything needed for open carry because i know that in few areas, you have to have a permit for carrying handguns. i knew that we can conceal it and i never intend to.

however i'm unsure about the part about the condition of the gun rather it's loaded or not. I've never seen any one with a carry that has no mag in the gun. But i never thought about "is the gun loaded?"

[Raoul Duke]

yeah i did look...
I'm fighting the urge to Scrivener you here...



i wasnt sure if there was anything needed for open carry because i know that in few areas, you have to have a permit for carrying handguns.

Yup. The whole state of Maine.



i knew that we can conceal it and i never intend to.

I'm not sure what you meant by "we" in fact, this whole sentence is confusing.



however i'm unsure about the part about the condition of the gun rather it's loaded or not.

Well, we just cleared that up for you.

[bvet4dog]

wow, i must be trippin right now. imma get off this forum before i make myself look more of an ass. imma get back to work, ttyl

btw thanks now i know i can carry a loaded handgun just fine.

Just curious. what if a police officer or some sheriff stops me and wants to hassle around with me.... ie seeing the gun or what not. what do i do or what shouldnt i do?

[M1911]

Just curious. what if a police officer or some sheriff stops me and wants to hassle around with me.... ie seeing the gun or what not. what do i do or what shouldnt i do?Obey his instructions. Be polite and respectful.

If I were you, I wouldn't carry until I got the concealed carry permit.

[Raoul Duke]

wow, i must be trippin right now. imma get off this forum before i make myself look more of an ass. imma get back to work, ttyl

Good idea.


btw thanks now i know i can carry a loaded handgun just fine.

Seriously, I'm glad we cleared that up at least.


Just curious. what if a police officer or some sheriff stops me and wants to hassle around with me.... ie seeing the gun or what not. what do i do or what shouldnt i do?

See m1911's comments for salient suggestions.

[bvet4dog]

aight, what if he were to take it away from me? such as gun or mag or every thing...

Also can i use leg holster? Or does it has to be the belt holster for carrying in public

[MassHack]

Punch him in the face DOG! Thats yo shi++

[colt_fan]

Yup. The whole state of Maine.

I would advise against open carrying while in the city limits of Portland. The CLEO is very anti-gun and getting a permit for Portland is very difficult.

[Raoul Duke]

I would advise against open carrying while in the city limits of Portland. The CLEO is very anti-gun and getting a permit for Portland is very difficult.

Absolutely. I was just gonna let him figure that out on his own. But my statement (as quoted) was in reference to his question (paraphrased) Do I need a permit to carry concealed in the whole state or just part of it?

[colt_fan]

Absolutely. I was just gonna let him figure that out on his own.

Now that's just mean, he should tell us if he when and where if he goes to Portland and decides to open carry. I'll bring the video camera!



But my statement (as quoted) was in reference to his question (paraphrased) Do I need a permit to carry concealed in the whole state or just part of it?

Scriv Jr. the 3rd?

[bvet4dog]

i'm not going down to portland for a while. still havnt answered my question

are they (government/state) picky on what holster you use for open carry? for example i'd like to use leg holster and can i use it for open carry or is it not legal?

[Sojurn87]

I would advise against open carrying while in the city limits of Portland. The CLEO is very anti-gun and getting a permit for Portland is very difficult.

I reside in NH and while researching for an extended trip to Maine, I discovered to my surprise how anti gun Portland is. From what I understand, they will atleast cite you for disturbing the peace which will probably be accompanied by alot of verbal harrassment blah blah blah.

[Raoul Duke]

i'm not going down to portland for a while. still havnt answered my question

are they (government/state) picky on what holster you use for open carry? for example i'd like to use leg holster and can i use it for open carry or is it not legal?

no the don't care what type of holster it is.

[jhblaze1]

i'm not going down to portland for a while. still havnt answered my question

are they (government/state) picky on what holster you use for open carry? for example i'd like to use leg holster and can i use it for open carry or is it not legal?

I suppose you could open carry with a leg holster so long as you were wearing shorts (i.e. not concealed) since you don't yet have a permit. However, that would look really really stupid.

I would take the others advice and just not carry at all until you have a permit. Once you do have a permit, I would carry concealed only. Why open carry at all? Just asking to be hassled. Maybe in northern NH or VT and some parts of ME it would be ok, but IMO you're flirting with trouble.

Side note: People on this board can be prickly if you come in asking questions that demontrate that you have done NO RESEARCH whatsoever. Try going to the maine.gov website and read through the revised statutes. Not that hard. Then you can come back and ask informed questions...[rolleyes]

[M1911]

aight, what if he were to take it away from me? such as gun or mag or every thing...You have two choices: 1) comply with the officer or 2) resist the officer. If you resist the officer, you will, at the very least, get arrested; at the very worst, you may have no more worries (or questions).


Also can i use leg holster? Or does it has to be the belt holster for carrying in public

Why in the world would you want to use a drop-leg holster on the street?

I strongly urge you get proper training from someplace ayoob.com LFI-1 prior to carrying. Based on the questions that you are asking, it appears to me that you are headed towards trouble.

[jhblaze1]

You have two choices: 1) comply with the officer or 2) resist the officer. If you resist the officer, you will, at the very least, get arrested; at the very worst, you may have no more worries (or questions).



Why in the world would you want to use a drop-leg holster on the street?

I strongly urge you get proper training from someplace ayoob.com LFI-1 prior to carrying. Based on the questions that you are asking, it appears to me that you are headed towards trouble.


I got $5 on homey getting arrested within a few weeks of owning a handgun...

[lemonlime571]

Smith .500 in a chest holster. Just make sure you only wear a tank top and denim shorts as to relieve yourself of any Leo hassles.

[bvet4dog]

lol no, guys dont worry about being arrested part. i've seen quite a few of folks using leg holster. i'm not talking about the ankle holster which needs a short to keep from concealing. I'm talking about the drop down... right on my thigh. If you're wondering why i kept asking about it, is because i have one lil issue here. I have extremely long arms and i've always felt comfortable with holsters on my thigh. I wouldnt mind one on my hip, but it's uncomfortable for me. Yes i know i'm flirting with the troubles that i may be facing, thats why i'm asking here because most of you guys know best. one. you experienced it and know what to do and two, the maine.gov web site doesnt say EVERY thing that i/we need to know. I'll reread it over again and see if i missed anything, however i'm positive that the web site didnt say anything which holster is legal for carry.

I might aswell take some classes so i can get myself a CCW permit. No, i'm not going to get arrested or going to hurt myself. I just present myself wrong on the forums sometime, we all have our days and i apologize if i made a fool out of myself or did anything stupid here. BUT, you all know any questions is not a stupid question. I have questions and i want to know, so i will find out the answers. Sure some people would ask some odd questions but still isnt a stupid question that shouldnt be answered.

thanks for the help, you can carry on w/e you'd like.

[M1911]

I might aswell take some classes so i can get myself a CCW permit. You just don't understand the gravity of carrying a firearm and potentially using one in a defensive situation if you put so little priority on getting proper instruction.

It is a bit dated, but please read Ayoob's book "In the Gravest Extreme".

[Raoul Duke]

Scriv Jr. the 3rd?

Scrivener wouldn't have wasted his time with even the first few questions.[thinking]

[Jaxon]

[laugh2] Sometimes, the humor around here just floors me... [rolleyes]

[theGringo]

Smith .500 in a chest holster. Just make sure you only wear a tank top and denim skirt as to relieve yourself of any Leo hassles.

Fixed it for you.

[bvet4dog]

just got myself a permit. w00t :P Still want a leg holster :( might be something along with gcode holsters.

[Jaxon]

just got myself a permit. w00t :P Still want a leg holster :( might be something along with gcode holsters.

Why? [thinking]

[bvet4dog]

i have short body with long arms. i believe i said that a while ago :) but if my body was long with short arms, then yeah i'd be more comfy with a hip or shoulder holster.

In other words I will be using leg holster for just about anything such as open carry / hunting etc... for concealed carry, i'll have to suck it up with some hip/shoulder holsters.

gah, i wished i had the power to delete this thread. now i feel such a fool for making this thread. I dont even know why i made this ahaha.

[theGringo]

i have short body with long arms. i believe i said that a while ago :) but if my body was long with short arms, then yeah i'd be more comfy with a hip or shoulder holster.

In other words I will be using leg holster for just about anything such as open carry / hunting etc... for concealed carry, i'll have to suck it up with some hip/shoulder holsters.

gah, i wished i had the power to delete this thread. now i feel such a fool for making this thread. I dont even know why i made this ahaha.

Great. Another knuckle dragger with a gun. [rolleyes]